Three Fingers
by cici.mel1978
Summary: Don is trying to figure out what just happened. It had only been a few minutes, that's not long enough for anything to happen. Right? Yet Mikey's tone is proving him wrong. Very wrong. Sequel to "Less Than Ten Minutes".


Disclaimer and Author Note:

First off, this is a sequel to the story "Less Than Ten Minutes". Can you read this without reading that? I'm pretty sure you can, but the story is there just in case you feel like you want to read it. For those following after reading "Less Than Ten Minutes" , yay! I'm glad you guys enjoyed the other story and I listened to your comments and reviews.

Second, this is not the same style as "Less Than Ten Minutes". This one is more my usual style.

Third, I do not own TMNT! I just borrow them for our entertainment. lol Please enjoy the story and as always comments, reviews, and constructive criticism are welcomed.

* * *

" _I'm tired…"_

" _Of playing video games all day?"_

" _Of smiling when I'm not happy."'_

Don sighed as he let his pen fall back onto the desk, unable to concentrate on his work in front of him as those words kept repeating his head. He couldn't get that look out of his head and worse he couldn't figure it out.

Being sad was normal. It wasn't abnormal, but this was Mikey. Don couldn't remember a time his little brother was this upset. Not even the time that their enemy Rahzar, back when he was the human Bradford, had fooled Mikey into thinking he was his best friend was Mikey like this. Don had tried to ask further, but his little brother just shrugged and turned back to his video game.

It made no sense to him. It had only been a few minutes since he'd last seen Mikey. What on Earth could have happened between then and now? The energetic turtle had entered his lab as noisy as always before breaking something that had taken him ages to build.

 _Maybe I was too hard on him?_

A knock came to his door, and the door swung open right after.

"Don, have you seen Mikey? I asked him to get this food up some time ago."

"Food?" Don's brow ridges furrowed and his stomach rumbled. Food? When was the last time that he'd eaten? He had skipped breakfast so that he could get some work done in the lab. Sometime later, much to his surprise, Mikey came in with a plate.

Don's eyes widened as he stood up suddenly.

"Stupid. How could I be so stupid?" Don muttered as he facepalmed before looking to see Leo's eyes on him. Leo's face was nothing less of strategist preparing for his next move and Don waited for the question he knew was coming.

"Is something wrong?" Leo's question was gentle, yet left no room to not answer. With how their lives were, he didn't blame his oldest brother for not condoning withheld information from him.

"I just...Did you see Mikey?"

"Not since I came by earlier and asked him to clean up the mess he made on the floor." Leo looked thoughtful before giving him a questioning glance. "Why?"

"I came out of the lab, but then I saw the mess there. I went to remind Mikey but…" Don trailed off, frowning as those words haunted his mind.

"But what?"

Don went to answer but jumped at the loud slam of the door opening as he looked to see Raph coming inside.

"Don't ya'll know how clean up after yaselves?" Raph yelled as he came closer.

"He might still be playing video games," Don answered Leo while not bothering to answer Raph. He frowned as he thought back on what happened. Usually, if Mikey was playing a game, his little brother's mood was nothing less than cheerful.

Not this time…

"Is something wrong with him?" Leo asked.

"He said that he was tired of smiling when he's not happy…"

"It's Mikey. Mikey's always happy. We always make sure Mikey's happy." Raph crossed his arms with a look in his eyes that dared for anyone to disagree with him.

"But..." Don said slowly as Raph's eyes narrowed further. "He even said that he wasn't Raph."

"Maybe he was jokin' like he always does." Raph shrugged, keeping his arms crossed still and Don frowned at the uncertainty in Raph's eyes. His older brother didn't want to believe it any more than he did.

"Maybe so, but I'm worried." Leo sighed softly.

"I think ya both bein' idiots ova nothin'." Raph leaned against the wall.

"How was he earlier?" Don looked over at Leo.

"Singing and dancing in the kitchen." Leo started to laugh before his face became a grimace. "While making a two plates of natto with that fruit you like," Leo made a bigger face and Don nearly smirked, knowing how his brothers detested it besides from him and Mikey. Though Mikey could and would eat pretty much anything.

"The durian fruit?" Don smiled, already knowing the answer but he was enjoying the look crossing on Leo's face as well as Raph's. He wondered what Mikey went through to even get his favorite fruit, noting the expressions on both of his brother's faces.

"No wonder that crap out the door smells." Raph snorted. "How ya even eat that, Donnie?"

"It's actually very good. You guys should try it."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Leo shook his head.

"Don't even look in my direction." Raph snorted. "But what we gonna do bout Mikey?"

"I'm going to go talk to him." Don started moving toward the door of the lab.

"We're comin' too, Brainiac."

Don heard Raph as he mumbled and could hear his brothers behind him. As tough as Raph liked to act, he knew his brother wanted to make sure that Mikey was okay just as much as he and Leo did.

His first thought after exiting the lab was to go to the main room again where his brother was last seen. He held back at the mental victory at being correct once he got a good look at Mikey.

The sight that greeting him made him feel worse as he glanced at the kitchen table. There was another plate of food, untouched, and there on the couch was an unusually quiet Mikey.

"Mikey?" Leo said his name quietly.

"Yeah?" Mikey answered, but the orange masked turtle didn't bother to turn his head while playing a video game.

"Was that food for me?" Don asked while sitting down.

"It was. I thought we could have lunch together. I was wrong."

Don winced at the emotionless tone as his brother had. His brother still hadn't taken even one glance in his direction, and Don looked back to see the worry etched on Leo's and Raph's faces before he looked back at Mikey.

"Mikey…"

"I'll clean up the mess in a second." His voice was still toneless which caused Don to frown.

"Look, Mikey, I'm sorry for yelling at you, and I'll clean the mess. I should have been paying more attention, but I didn't. I'm really sorry." Don looked at his little brother, but his frown deepened as Mikey kept on playing.

"Mikey, didn't you hear Don?"

"Yep." Mikey gave a sharp answer with an audible "p."

"Well ain't ya gonna say somethin' ding dong? I mean, damn, ya actin like we did somethin' to ya on purpose! So get over it already and smile! You're supposed to be the happy one."

Don looked to see Mikey's grip on the game controller tighten before the orange masked turtle gave Raph a glare that Don didn't know the youngest turtle could even give as he abruptly stood up with his fists clenched together.

"I'm being sad! I'm being upset! I'm doing the same thing you guys do all the time! You run out all the time or say you're going to quit! Leo goes dumb-dumb and makes stupid decisions that nearly gets him killed! And Don nerd rages! So let me be upset because right now I'm mad at all of you! No one even cared! And it's not the first time you guys did it!" Mikey plopped back down with a huff and crossed his arms.

Don stared at Mikey before looking at his brothers who appeared as perplexed and surprised as the purple-masked turtle felt. Don looked back at Mikey still frowning as took everything Mikey said in before speaking.

"Mikey...how long have you felt like this?" Don asked quietly.

Mikey shrugged. "I don't know...today was just a bad day, I guess. Stuff is hard, and I know you guys need to laugh, smile and stuff. I don't even mind you guys laughing at me besides...I like seeing you guys happy..."

"Mikey, you don't have to take all of that. We look out for each other. All of us. We're a team. We're brothers." Leo came closer as he sat beside their little brother.

"But that's how I look out for you guys!" Mikey frowned. "I like doing it. I want to look on the bright side because someone's gotta with all the crazy stuff that keeps happening but sometimes it's hard, and I don't feel like smiling. Like today, I just wanted to spend time with D." Mikey looked over at the purple-masked turtle. "I barely see you anymore since you started dating April."

"Mikey you see me every day," Don said while confused. He was pretty sure he saw all his brothers every day, especially Mikey when his brother would invite himself in Don's lab.

Mikey shook his head. "Not really. Unless you count patrol and lunch or dinner because you always skip breakfast."

"I have to agree, Don. It'd be nice to see you a bit more…" Leo looked over at him, and Don frowned as he realized the truth behind the words.

"You think so too, Raph?" Don asked.

"I guess" Raph shrugged and crossed his arms. Don took a long look at Raph, he'd never expect the red masked turtle to say it, but he could see a hurt behind his older brother's eyes.

Don sighed. "I'm sorry guys…."

"And Leo's always too busy practicing if he's not watching Space Heroes…" Mikey added.

"I am no-"

Don gave Leo a look, daring his oldest brother to say that fib as Leo looked sheepish.

"Okay, you might have a point, but Raph maybe you could spend a bit less time hanging out with Casey?"

"I ain't always with Case!" Raph yelled.

"No, just every night we aren't patrolling, or every time he skips school." Don teased, and Raph rolled his eyes with a snort, but his older brother wasn't disagreeing with him.

"We have three fingers," Mikey mumbled.

"What?" Raph raised a brow ridge, and Don looked confused at Mikey.

"When we were little, I asked sensei why we had three fingers when regular turtles and humans have five. He said for every finger I have, I have a brother."

"But that makes zero sense. I mean scientifically…" Don went over every biological aspect in his head and wondered where to even start with his explanation to Mikey.

"Who cares Donnie, we got three fingers," Raph smirked and plopped down wrapping an arm around Mikey.

"Makes perfect sense to me. " Leo chuckled.

Don opened his mouth to say something. His brothers were giving science the middle finger, and it was up to him to at least get them on the right track. Right?

He looked at his three brothers together, and what his father meant suddenly dawned on him before he smiled.

"Three fingers." Don chuckled before moving in close and thinking back to how this all started. He nudged his little brother, "Mikey?"

"Yeah?"

"From now on, if you don't feel like smiling, just don't," Don smiled at him.

"Because guess what?" Leo moved his hand to tap Mikey's snout playfully, and the youngest turtle's head tilted.

"What?" Mikey scratched his head, looking from Leo to Don then Raph and back at Leo.

"We'll smile for you." Leo laughed.

"Really?"

"Yep, ya do it all the time for us," Raph smirked.

"But Raph you don't smile."

"For you dumb dumb, I'll make an exception." Raph gave one of his rare smiles and Don was glad to see Mikey smiling back.


End file.
